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New Cellulosic Ethanol Subsidies

February 8, 2012 by Nino Marchetti
with 121 views
0

President Obama said in his State of the Union address that it was time to “double-down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising.” Apparently, he includes cellulosic ethanol in that category, despite the industry’s many woes and skeptics.With the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) largely out of the clean energy loan-... [read more]

Liquid Wood, Anybody?

February 6, 2012 by Stefano Ratti
with 440 views
2

One of the most abundant forms of renewable energy available in the United States is wood residue from forestry operations. The carbon in wood residue is bound to go back to the atmosphere, either as carbon dioxide (CO2) as a result of combustion (natural or controlled fire), or through methane (CH4), as a result of decomposition.... [read more]

Decarbonizing California requires relying more on electricity, once it's low carbon

February 4, 2012 by Karen Street
with 186 views
7

A 2006 California law, Assembly Bill 32, obligates the state to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (30% below business as usual), and to 80% below that level by 2050 (90% below business as usual). How is it to done? A team from UC, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, and elsewhere examines this... [read more]

DSM ventures into ethanol

January 26, 2012 by Doris de Guzman
with 541 views
0

Is it just the blog's imagination or are there seem to be more and more chemical companies venturing into advanced ethanol production, the recent one being DSM? Let's see our list here: DuPont Cellulosic Ethanol - No need to introduce DuPont in this case. The company's cellulosic ethanol business is planning to build a 27.5m gal/year... [read more]

Advanced biofuels could create millions of jobs while greening the economy

January 26, 2012 by Annegrethe Jakobsen
with 360 views
1

A new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance - launched during World Economic Forum at Davos - estimates the socioeconomic prospects of deploying advanced biofuels in eight of the highest agricultural-producing regions in the world, i.e. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, EU-27, India, Mexico and the USA.The report was commissioned... [read more]

Biofuel Industry: Cellulosic Ethanol is Making Progress

January 12, 2012 by Antonio Pasolini
with 373 views
1

   Photo: NYT The Renewable Fuels Association has published an article on its website saying that despite a shortfall in cellulosic biofuel production in relation to the targets set by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), as reported by the New York Times, the sector has been making advances.    “In a very... [read more]

Loss of Ethanol Subsidy Boosts E85 Prices Significantly

January 11, 2012 by Michael Giberson
with 490 views
0

The basic math is pretty simple: most gasoline in the U.S. has about 10 percent ethanol, so the the 45 cents/gallon VEETC subsidy reduced the price of gasoline about 4.5 cents. The subsidy expired at the end of 2011, so one reason gasoline prices have gone up a few cents since New Year’s Day comes from the loss of the subsidy. (World... [read more]

Ethanol Industry Permits Its Politicians to Allow the Expiration of Its Tax Credit and Tariff

January 4, 2012 by Michael Giberson
with 244 views
0

The Des Moines Register has one version of the story - the agribusiness industry decided it could do without the subsidy since the renewable fuels mandate seemed securely in place: So established is corn-fed ethanol that the industry allowed the expiration of the 45 cents-per-gallon tax credit for ethanol production, as well as the... [read more]

Biofuel Subsidies Need Reform

December 27, 2011 by Nathanael Greene
with 429 views
0

Americans want the U.S. to lead the world in renewable energy, but these are screwy times in our nation’s capital. Some people are trying to turn clean, renewable energy into something dirty. The fossil fuel industry and the radical right, including Grover Norquist and politicians looking to score cheap political points, are taking on... [read more]

Grading My Predictions for 2011

December 26, 2011 by Robert Rapier
with 135 views
0

 In my list of Top 10 Energy Related Stories of 2010, I made three predictions for 2011. Those predictions were:  I believe high oil prices will continue to put a strain on the economies of oil-importing nations. I expect that we will see oil prices once again head above $100 per barrel, although I expect the annual average... [read more]

Range Fuels Bankruptcy Harms Biofuels Industry

December 19, 2011 by Robert Rapier
with 647 views
0

Recently it was announced that Range Fuels has gone into foreclosure, thus marking the official end of their story. For all practical purposes, the company has been finished since early 2011, but the foreclosure puts an end to the notion that they will yet rise triumphant from the ashes. Last week, Heather Duncan — a reporter for The... [read more]

Why is Sustainable Biodiesel Illegal in the UK?

December 19, 2011 by David Thorpe
with 424 views
1

  The Government is currently considering the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (Amendment) Order 2011. I have seen a copy, and I can tell you that there is plenty to be concerned about in terms of its inadequacy. But in this column I'm going to concentrate on one particular aspect: an appalling oversight which involves a... [read more]

Has the Navy Set Sail or Aborted the Mission to Use Green Fuels?

December 15, 2011 by A Siegel
with 190 views
1

In 2008, Admiral Gary Roughead, U.S. Navy, then Chief of Naval of Operations, established  Task Force Energy and Task Force Climate (prior to the Obama Administration).  Since then, Task Force Energy has provided a serious focal point for fostering changing Navy thinking and approaches to energy use and... [read more]

DOD Steps Up Innovation in Installation Energy, Recognizes Limits in Biofuels

November 24, 2011 by Matt Hourihan
with 296 views
1

  It’s worth noting a pair of recent developments on the Defense Department energy front. One is a useful reminder of what DOD can achieve now with the proper support, and a cause for optimism; the other, more pessimistic, illustrates the pressing need for accelerated innovation in the alternative fuels industry more broadly... [read more]

No Coal, No Oil, No Nuclear. No Biomass?

November 9, 2011 by Tomaz Ostir
with 554 views
3

This is [large-scale, industrial use of natural forests for energy] turning to ash sustainable job opportunities, threatening the greening of the forest sector and the value added product trend that has been emerging in recent years. And what is against of common understanding of biomass: Exploiting forests for energy increases carbon... [read more]